


Haunted Hearts

by gmariam19 (gmariam)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Blood and Injury, Established Relationship, Haunted Houses, Injured Poe Dameron, M/M, Mind Games, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Spooky, injured Finn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27274723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gmariam/pseuds/gmariam19
Summary: Finn and Poe explore the ruins of an old cottage, and find more than they expected in the past--their future.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 53
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The moon is dark, tilted on its axis so that it spends more time in shadow than light. Cold and grey, it's as if the color has been leeched from the very air around them, leaving the world in eternal twilight. Finn wonders why anyone would choose to live on such a world, let alone a Jedi—assuming his vision was real. There doesn't seem to be anything to do, anything to explore, any reason to endure such bleak surroundings.

Yet Finn feels something—a pull in the Force, drawing him toward the abandoned village they'd spotted from the air. Perhaps there's something about the ground itself that is strong in the Force and had drawn the Jedi as well. Rey had said something about a nexus, and though Finn still doesn't understand half the things she talks about, he understands enough to know that a nexus is important. If she feels that Finn's vision is important enough to come all this way for and investigate, then it probably is. He's just not sure why.

Poe is clearly trying to hide his skepticism as they walk down the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon_ , though Finn can sense the other man's support as well. Poe understands even less about the ancient Jedi, but he believes in Finn's training completely. He is also glad to get away from the day-to-day grind of leading the former Resistance, something Finn can relate to. Exploring an old Jedi village is already more interesting than the never-ending meetings and holocalls that make up their days now. He doesn't miss the fighting, but he doesn't enjoy the bureaucracy, either.

The _Falcon_ is set in a large clearing, even though Poe had argued he could bring them down closer. The village is surrounded by forest, however, and Rey hadn't wanted to destroy anything trying to land the _Falcon_ within the small cluster of homes. There is a road that leads through the forest, long overgrown from disuse. The trees are tall and covered with hanging moss; the shrill cries of unseen animals echo around them. Finn feels like he's walking through a haunted forest, the whispers of long-dead Jedi tickling the edges of his mind. He stays close to Poe, arms brushing together, resisting the urge to reach out and take the other man's hand.

They stop short at the sight of the village. It is nothing but ruins—barren grounds and lifeless gardens long abandoned to the wild. Wooden houses lean precariously sideways, rotting roofs falling in or completely collapsed. Broken down buildings tumble their stones onto the barren ground. Black shutters hang haphazardly beside the shattered windows of a larger cottage to the right, faded white door peeling and splintered. Yet there are also signs of violence, of deliberate destruction: faded blaster burns marking trees and stone, the scorching line of what could only be lightsaber fire.

The village feels colder, somehow—empty and abandoned, with the echoes of something terrible floating in the air, an invisible mist of heartbreak and pain. The forest has moved in, but something destroyed this place first. Finn glances at Rey, but it is Poe who speaks.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he says.

Finn agrees.

"Something terrible happened here," Rey murmurs. Memories of the past float just out of reach, visions of death and destruction fueled by anger and grief.

"So why are we here again?" Poe asks, his voice quiet.

"Ask Finn," she says. They all turn toward him.

"I'm not sure," he says, discouraged by the lack of clarity in his vision and the fact that he hasn't been able to articulate anything but those three words since he first felt the pull to this place. "I already told you, it's just a feeling, a vision. There's something here for us to find."

"What are we looking for, then?" Poe asks. "A book, a relic? A dead guy?" He grimaces. "Oh hell, I hope there's no bones."

Chewie rumbles and Rey gives him an eye roll. Finn shakes his head. He's still not sure what's brought them there, but he does know they are _supposed_ to be there. That much feels right, even if the place itself fills him with unease.

"Where do you want to start?" Rey asks quietly, and Finn gives her a wide-eyed look.

"Why are you asking me? You're the actual Jedi here."

"And you're the one who sensed something about this place," she reminds him gently. "So you should be the one to guide us." She smiles at him. "Use the Force, Finn."

"Okay. Right. The Force." Finn takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. He closes his eyes, reaches out with his senses. And as it does with his eyes open, the village feels dark and cold and empty. He also senses fear and fury. Something terrible happened to the villagers who once lived here, and there is something dangerous still lurking nearby, even if it is only the memory of bleak times.

"Rey and Chewie, you head to the left. Check out the houses, search the grounds, see if you can figure out what happened here. Poe and I will take the right." The stone cottage—the only building standing in whole—draws him. That is where he needs to go.

Rey and Chewie turn away, while Finn starts toward the cottage, Poe following behind him. They move as carefully and quietly as they can, as if instinctively afraid of disturbing—what? The spirits of the dead? There are no bodies, no bones, no graves that Finn can see, but he has no doubt that many people died here. He can sense their pain. Poe moves closer.

"What're we looking for, buddy?" he asks, his voice barely a whisper. Poe may not feel the Force like Finn does, but the pilot has strong instincts, and they are clearly telling him something about this place is threatening, wrong.

"I don't know," Finn tells him yet again. He can't hide the frustration in his voice, because he feels like he should _know,_ but he doesn't. He's only been working on this Jedi thing for a few months, and he's been equally busy working with Poe as co-general. He's still learning how to manage both, and sometimes feels like he's no good at either.

Poe reaches out and takes Finn's hand, holds tight and does not let go. "It's all right," he says. "You'll figure it out." It's as if he can read Finn's mind; maybe he can. They have been spending a lot of time together, both on the job and off. Their relationship is more than that of friends, particularly in bed, yet it is still casual, still new and undefined. Finn's not sure why, when he knows exactly how he feels about Poe. Yet neither of them seems willing to push, afraid of taking that next step and ruining what they have—or afraid of admitting what's already there and one day losing everything.

Finn holds Poe's hand as they continue toward the cottage, taking strength from Poe's steadfast faith in him. He lets go at the door, stops and reaches out and tries to understand what it is he's meant to find.

"This is part of it, isn't it? This place?" Poe asks. He raises a gloved hand to the door, runs his fingers down the warped boards. "Do we go in?"

"We go in," Finn says. He tries to sound more confident than he feels. "But we watch ourselves. Something is still off."

"I know," Poe murmurs. "I can feel it."

Finn gives him a surprised look, and Poe gestures to the area, then the door before them. "It's like we're in a bad holovid and are about to enter the very obvious haunted mansion."

"It's not a mansion," Finn points out. "And it's not haunted." It is something, though. Cursed by the past, perhaps.

"Maybe not, but there's still something very wrong about it," Poe mutters. He raises a light with one hand and his blaster with the other, as if it will protect him from whatever they might find inside. He pushes the door open. There is an almost unearthly creak as it falls from the hinges and lands before them in a cloud of dust and dirt. They both jump back.

"Seven shades of hell," Poe laughs nervously. "This is stupid. It's just an old house. It's not haunted."

There is a flutter of something like wings from inside; birds, maybe, or bats. A gust of wind blows through the doorway, ruffling their hair and leaving behind a trailing moan. The air smells old and stale and raises the hairs of the back of Finn's neck. He shakes off the sense of being watched and takes a deep breath.

"Let's go," he says, and steps forward into the gloom.

* * *

"Seven shades of hell," Poe mutters, more to himself than to Finn. "This is stupid. It's just an old house. It's not haunted."

And yet, memories of the old temples on Yavin IV come to mind, of stone tunnels taken over by the jungle, of rusted ships and bleached white bones. This place is not nearly as old as the old base, though it is certainly older than the Rebellion. Whoever lived here has been gone for decades, if not centuries, yet Poe feels as if he's being watched. As if everything he says is heard, and everything he does is judged.

Finn looks nervous, though the other man is hiding it well. He's the one who brought them there, after all. Poe knows that Finn feels responsible for them and wants more than anything for the mission to succeed. Only they're not sure what that means, what they're looking for.

Yet Poe trusts Finn, has since he met the other man, and he trusts him even more now that the war is over. Their relationship has slowly evolved into something new and different, though Poe couldn't say exactly what that is. They spend their days working close as generals, and their nights together in bed. He knows he wants more, but he doesn't want to ruin what they do have. He also knows he could lose himself so easily, if anything ever happened to Finn.

The sound of wings flutters around them, like bats in the eaves of the roof, perhaps. Cold air blows past, and Poe shivers from more than the chill. He looks to Finn, who takes a deep breath. "Let's go," Finn says, and steps across the threshold. Poe follows, his heart pounding, his trust unwavering.

As soon as they set foot inside the house, the door slams behind him. The door that just fell to the floor. They spin around and stare at it, now shut tight behind them. Poe offers Finn a shaky grin. "Guess we're staying awhile," he says. It's a bad idea; there's something in there with them, he's sure of it, and it can't possibly mean them well.

They are standing in the small entry of the cottage. There is a long hallway running to the back of the house. On one side is a dining room, carved wooden table with three legs tilted on its side, surrounded by chairs in various states of disrepair. There is some kind of animal nest in the corner. A cupboard along the wall spilled its contents long ago and is home to nothing but cobwebs now.

"Charming," Poe murmurs. On the other side of the entry is a sitting room of some sort, old chairs rotting in the dark, side tables overturned, a painting on the wall peeling from the frame. The silence is as unnerving as the grim atmosphere of the abandoned home.

"Should we split up?" Finn asks, his voice low. "Cover more ground?"

"Probably not," Poe replies. "But the sooner we check it out, the sooner we can get out of here."

"What, would you rather be exploring those old tunnels beneath the sand?" Finn grins at him, though Poe can see the forced edges of it; Finn feels it too, the sense of malice hanging over the house, the entire village. Once again, Poe's mind shouts at him that they shouldn't be there.

He starts to stick his tongue out, but the clatter of something above them stops him. He glances up and tries not to let his fear show. It's probably rodents, or some other forest creature living in the roof. The bats. "Yes," he eventually replies. "I think I would prefer those old tunnels. I really don't like this place."

"Me neither," Finn murmurs. He shines his small torch down the dim hallway. Several spiders as big as his hand skitter away into the shadows. "But like you said, the sooner we check it out, the sooner we can get out of here."

"It's oppressive," Poe replies, his voice sinking quietly. "Like something is watching, waiting for us."

"Yes." Finn doesn't say any more, but shakes himself and jerks his head to the left. "I'll check out this side, you do the other, and then we can head to the back together."

"Sounds good. What am I looking for again?" Poe throws him a grin and even laughs when he gets an eye roll in return. Finn turns away, and Poe suddenly feels more alone than he ever has in his life. He stops in his tracks, sucking in air as a wave of pain and loneliness rolls through him, crushing his chest and almost bringing him to his knees. He turns to find Finn at the threshold of the sitting room, staring back at him with wide eyes and his hand over his heart.

"What the hell was that?" Poe asks. Finn shakes his head.

"I don't know, but let's do this even faster than we were planning. I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"Right there with you, pal," Poe murmurs. He shines his light throughout the dining room, walks around the overturned furniture, searching underneath fallen debris, checking the floorboards and rafters. He hopes he'll recognize something important when he sees it, but he's honestly not sure if there's anything there. He trusts Finn, believes in him, but what could they possibly find in a run-down, abandoned village?

The room feels strangely big, and Poe is sure it takes much too long to search such a small space. There is a constant scuttling of something above him that sets his nerves on edge. When he finally steps back into the hallway, he calls for Finn, too nervous to wait in silence. There is no answer. Finn is not in the living room. Shining his light throughout the room, Poe notices immediately that there are no footprints in the dust.

He shines the light down the hallway. "Finn!" His heart jumps as the words echo back, unanswered. He's about to call Finn on his comms when suddenly there is a hand on his shoulder, and he jumps with a shout, blaster coming up in instinctive defense.

"Kriffing hell!" he exclaims as Finn falls back and almost loses his footing. "You can't sneak up on someone in a haunted house!"

"It's not haunted and it's barely a house," Finn says, though he doesn't sound completely sure of either. "And I wasn't sneaking. I just…I wasn't sure it was you."

Poe frowns as he lowers his weapon. "What do you mean, you weren't sure? I'm the only one here." He pauses. "Aren't I?"

"I don't know," Finn says. "I thought I saw something…" He trails off, glancing around, until his gaze stops at something behind Poe and his mouth falls open. "And now I'm definitely seeing something."

Poe tenses, brings his blaster up once more. "Is there something behind me?" he whispers. "One of those big spiders, or one of those things that we keep hearing above us?"

"No," Finn replies. "But there are stairs."

Poe whirls around, light and blaster raised. There are stairs where there weren't any stairs, leading up to a second floor Poe is sure wasn't there when they walked in.

"What the hell is going on?" he murmurs. Finn steps up next to him.

"It's playing with us," he says. "The house. There's something about it…."

"That even I can feel, right," Poe says. "Okay, do we go up the creepy magical stairs or stick to our original plan and check out the back of the house?"

"I think we go upstairs," Finn says. "Together."

"Right. Together." They exchange a look, and Poe feels his heart swell with both love and apprehension. Finn starts up the stairs first. Poe takes a step…and his foot lands heavily on the floor, as if it went right through the old wood. Finn is several steps above him now; Poe tries again.

He is still in the hallway, still on the first floor. Finn has already reached the top. Poe calls up to him, but the other man doesn't even turn around. He grits his teeth, tenses his body, and starts running up the stairs…only to find himself halfway down the first-floor hallway, standing at the door to the kitchen.

He glances behind him, but the stairs are gone. And so is Finn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've wanted to write a haunted house story for Finn and Poe for a while. And I wanted to try to make it work in canon. So hopefully it works! Apologies for any typos as I've edited this so many times I'm sure I can't see them anymore! Many thanks to mssrj_335 for their help and encouragement! Next chapter in a day or two – thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The splintered wood creaks as he starts up a staircase that wasn't there five minutes ago. Finn tries not to flinch with every step. He turns to glance at Poe, but the pilot is still at the bottom. He looks worried, flustered.

"Come on," Finn calls down to him. "We're in this together, remember?" He continues forward, reaches the top and looks back at Poe.

Poe is gone.

"Poe?" Finn calls into the dark. "Poe? Where are you?" There is no answer, and Finn's skin is positively crawling off his bones. Something's not right. He raises his foot to go back downstairs…and it lands on the wooden planks of the second-floor hallway. Tries again, but the staircase is gone.

"Oh hell no," Finn mutters. He shines his light around the second floor. "This is _not_ happening." There is the soft whisper of laughter on the air. It tickles the back of his neck again, and he rubs at it, trying to keep the fear under control. The house is not haunted, there are no such thing as evil spirits. It's nothing but a trick. He tells himself to stay focused and calm and trust in the Force.

He starts down the hallway of the second floor, determined to stay focused on reality. He needs to find Poe and whatever it is that's drawn him to this place, not give in to childish fears. The first door he comes to is closed. He reaches out to open it, changes his mind. Taking out his blaster, he opens the door with the Force. Dozens of small rat-like creatures pour out, skittering over his boots as he stumbles back with a livid curse.

But the room is empty, and Finn moves on. Determined.

* * *

The staircase is gone, and no amount of frantic searching reveals either the steps or Finn. Poe considers staying right where he is and waiting for Finn to come back down, but how? The stairs are gone, and standing still makes him more anxious. He needs to _do_ something—find Finn, find whatever they're looking for, and get the hell out of there.

The hallway seems to stretch on forever; the house couldn't possibly be so large. Then again, it didn't have appear to have a second floor when they first entered, either. Finn said it was playing with them, and Poe is certain he hears the echo of laughter through the scrape of the floor boards beneath his feet.

He finally reaches the kitchen at the back of the house, bare and empty, the hearth fire-blackened and col. Poe searches the crooked shelves, the empty pots, the single cupboard: nothing. Stepping outside onto a small porch, he shines his light across the grounds. The edge of the forest whispers in the wind, and Poe watches, searching, before he turns back inside. Whatever happened here is tied to this house, and whatever they're looking for is somewhere inside. He frowns, not sure how he knows that and certain he's missing something. Which is when he notices a door to the left. A door that wasn't there before. Like the stairs.

Raising his weapon, Poe slowly pulls the door open. He shines his light into the darkness, holding his breath as his heart pounds in his chest. Something flies out at him, wings beating around his head, foul smell filling the air. He shouts and beats it away, glances up only to find it's gone. As if it never existed in the first place.

Poe laughs uneasily. He's never been one to believe in fairy tales and ghost stories before, but he feels like he's in one now. He peers through the dark doorway, where a staircase leads down into the cold earth. Already, he can see his breath coming out in white puffs. Finn had gone up the nonexistent staircase and disappeared; should Poe take the stairs down? What if he is trapped?

"It's playing with us," Poe murmurs to himself. "It's just a trick." He's not sure what kind of trick and who's behind it, let alone how they are doing it, but he does have a strong suspicion that they must follow where they are being led. That if he doesn't go down those steps, it will be something else instead, leading to the same endgame. For now, it's his choice.

He steps forward. Determined.

* * *

The room is open to the sky, the low limb of a tree pouring through the roof and clearly providing a nesting area for…well, something. Finn shines his light throughout the room, sees nothing but the small bones of whatever unlucky creature met its fate there. He moves on, hopes Poe is all right and having better luck than he is.

The next room is empty aside from a single old chair, rocking back and forth in a non-existent breeze. It sends shivers down Finn's neck; he reaches out with his senses, but feels smothered by a blanket, as if something is keeping him from knowing what happened here. Frustration swells; if he doesn't understand what happened in the past, how can he stop what's happening now? Something in the house is playing with them, he knows it is, but he doesn't understand why—or how.

The rocking chair moves faster and faster. The room grows cold. He can see his breath. He watches, mesmerized by the eerie scene. Until he senses the malevolence behind it. Raising his hand, Finn flings the chair against the wall, smashing it to pieces before turning to leave. The door slams shut before him. He reaches to open it, finds it locked. Distant laughter echoes around him.

"This is not funny," he mutters. He raises his hand and uses the Force, pulling it open with a strong effort and stepping quickly into the hallway. There is a rumbling in the room behind him, and he hurries away, down a hallway too long to be real. There can't possibly be so many rooms in the tiny cottage.

He continues, determined to find the answers—and a way out of this hell house.

* * *

The staircase is steep, never-ending. Yet when Poe glances upward, the door is only a few steps above him. Fear is replaced by anger, that whatever is messing with them continues to taunt. He turns to go back up, makes no progress. "Kriff off!" he shouts into the darkness. "Up or down, make up your damn mind!"

Whispers of laughter echo through the dark. Poe feels a push against his back, urging him down. He swallows his fear, lets his anger remain. Whatever it is, it will not win. He continues, shivering in the dark, hoping he's not walking to his death.

Poe finally steps onto a dirt floor, shines his light around a deep, dark basement. It is cold and empty, and he is filled with a fuming frustration, that he's been dragged down there for no reason. He kicks at the dirt, swears into the dark. Turns around to leave, but it's as if he's walking through poptree syrup in a sandstorm. Something is stopping him, forcing him back—or at least, not allowing him forward. He stops, and the oppressive feeling ends. He can move, but not forward.

So Poe turns and walks the other way, into the darkness. He may be forced to follow its whims, but he is determined: the house will not win.

* * *

A tickle in the Force brushes his mind. Finn turns, follows the feeling down the endless corridor and reaches out with every sense on high alert. At the opposite end of the hallway is a door that practically vibrates with grief. Finn steps forward and touches the knob, gasps as he sees flashes of the past. . .

…a woman, setting her lightsaber aside, smiling into the mirror as she clips a stone pendant around her neck and tucks a flower into her hair…

…a man, standing nervously in the twilight, the clearing lit by lanterns as he waits for his bride…

…a happy home, full of peace, contentment, and respect. The Force vibrates with their love, and then their fear…

…a twisted hatred finally finds them, leaving the entire village destroyed by its fury and haunted by grief.

Finn steps back with a gasp, his hand ice cold. His heart races. He's starting to understand the terrible tragedy that happened there. Why so much anger and pain ripples in the air around him. That one man could be filled with so much hatred, could do such things to the woman he once loved, is unspeakable. It is a fury that's been left behind and now taunts the living. Finn feels it like a living thing, trapped in a torment of its own creation.

Finn does not enter the room. Too much has been lost, and he will not learn anything more from their pain. He senses a growing anger in the air around him. He needs to find Poe, and then find a way out before they become a part of the story as well. The malevolent presence laughs. Suddenly, Finn feels the spirit of the dark Jedi moving within his mind, sifting through his memories, touching his heart.

And just like that, it knows Finn's deepest secret.

There is a sound from nearby, frantic shouting and the high-pitched scream of a blaster. A body falling heavily to the floor. Finn runs down the hallway to find Poe crumpled at the top of the stairs, motionless in an expanding pool of blood.

He's too late.

* * *

Poe walks slowly through the shadows, cold and alone. There is nothing in the basement, not a single stone, not a single creature. Until the gleam of his light flashes over something small and metallic. Crouching down, Poe reaches out toward an old lightsaber, takes it up in shaking hands. And is struck dead still by an onslaught of emotion and visions of the past…

…a loyal Jedi, fleeing betrayal, finding peace on a twilight moon as she sets her lightsaber, and her past, aside…

…a common stonemason, building a new home for a future with his beautiful bride…

…a happy village, full of love and laughter, free of evil for years until…

…fear and anger and the blood-red lightsaber of a fallen Jedi destroys everything.

Poe wrenches his body free of the paralysis, falls to his knees with a gasp. They were _slaughtered_ , every last one of them. The entire village, wiped out by the jealous hatred of a spurned lover. Whose rage now haunts the village. It swirls around him, cruel laughter mocking him. Poe can feel the presence in the basement brush against him, and he jumps up, stumbling backward. Bats it away, but it's inside him, in his head, searching his memories. It knows how he feels and laughs once more.

With a feral shout, Poe turns and runs. The lightsaber is in his hand and he flicks the switch, blue light showing him the way to the stairs, guiding him back to the first floor. He has to find Finn, get out them out before they are lost to the same dark Jedi that killed the woman he loved, her husband, and the entire village in twisted revenge. The harsh sound of something falling echoes through floor. Poe dashes down the hallway to the front of the house. He finds Finn laying on the ground at the base of the stairs. Blood pools around him from a jagged wound in his chest, and a knife lies nearby.

He's too late.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I really hope that makes sense! Ask me anything and thank you for reading! Reviews are so appreciated! Happy Halloween!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Poe drops the lightsaber and collapses next to Finn, pressing on the gaping wound, looking for others.

"Finn?" he says, and then again. "Come on, buddy, can you hear me? Give me a sign here." Finn is limp, his pulse weak; Poe's hands are already sticky with blood.

"Shit." He fumbles with his comms. Fails, and tries again, getting nothing but static. He shouts into the void anyway. "Rey! Rey, we need help…dammit…" He tries to pick up Finn, stumbles with the weight, slips in the blood. It is everywhere, he can taste it in the air. He pulls Finn close.

"Come on, Finn. We gotta get out, but you have to wake up, help me a little." Poe stands again, wraps Finn's arm around his neck, supporting the other man under his shoulder. He staggers toward the door, Finn's feet dragging on the ground. Reaching out, he pulls on the door, but it doesn't move.

It's locked. Or cursed.

He tries again. Kicks it as hard as he can without dropping Finn. Carefully aiming his blaster, he shoots the lock, but nothing happens; the blast disappears as if he never fired at all. Finn opens his eyes, gasps in pain, then passes out completely, pulling them both to the ground.

"No, no, no," Poe shouts. "Don't do this to me! Finn! Wake up, we have to get out of here and I think you're the only one who can do that right now. Finn!"

Finn is still, his chest barely moving.

Poe is certain his own heart is about to stop, to break in two as Finn dies in his arms.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They haven't had enough time, there's still so much for them to see and do. So much for Poe to say.

"Finn," he starts, pulling the other man into his lap and cradling his shoulders. He leans over Finn's face, pale and bloodied in the dim glow of the Poe's light. Presses a kiss to his forehead. "You know I love you, right? You can't leave now, I need to say it properly." He glances around, laughs bitterly at the scene. "This is not how it's supposed to go, you know. I was waiting for the right time, for you to maybe feel the same. I don't know if you do, but Finn…I've been in love with you for so long. Please don't leave me now." He touches his forehead to Finn's, tears falling to the other man's face.

He looks around for the lightsaber he found in the basement, but there is a sound behind them, someone coming down the stairs. Poe grabs his blaster, turns and raises it to eye level.

Points it at Finn.

Finn, who is struggling down the stairs, supporting a man. A man who looks just like Poe, head lolling as blood drips from a brutal blaster burn covering most of his chest, abdomen, and arm. Finn raises his own weapon, eyes wild with the same panic Poe feels deep in his gut.

He looks at the man in his arms, life bleeding out into the floorboards. He looks at the man standing before him, pointing a blaster at his head.

And he has no idea what's going on anymore.

* * *

"Poe!" Finn falls to the pilot's side, hand reaching frantically toward the horrific blaster wound. It's bad, really bad. He needs a medpac, and Rey, and he needs them fast or Poe's not going to make it. "Poe, can you hear me?"

He thinks he hears a quiet moan, exhaled on a shallow breath.

"Poe, I've got to get you downstairs," Finn tells him. He doesn't know if Poe can hear him, but he keeps talking. "It's going to hurt, but we've got to get out of here, get you help." He crouches, wrapping his arm around Poe and helping him stand. He moves toward the staircase, but as he steps down, he finds himself right back where he started, at the top of the staircase. He tries again, and the same thing happens. The house is pushing against him.

"Stop it!" he shouts to the rafters. "Get out of my head and let us go!" A cold breeze blows between them; Poe shudders and goes limp. Finn stumbles, barely manages to stay upright. Determined to get them out, he steps forward again, and once more finds himself stuck on the top step. Poe's legs go out completely, and they crumple to the floor in a painful heap.

Poe groans, and Finn pulls him up against his chest. Wishes more than anything he had Rey's ability to heal. Poe is shivering, and Finn can feel his pain. It brings tears to his eyes, and he leans closer, his throat tight.

"Poe, I need you to stay strong," Finn says. "Because this is not over. And I'm not talking about this damn house, I'm talking about us. I do not want to wake up alone tomorrow, Poe. We're in this together, remember?" There is no response. Finn bites back a sob. "Poe, I care about you. You know that, right? I want to say it, but I didn't think I could say it yet. So don't leave me, because I want to say it."

Silence.

"I have to say it," Finn whispers. "You are why I am who I am. I think I've loved you since the moment I saw you climb out of your ship on D'qar. And you are too good of a pilot, a leader, a man, to die on us, Poe. We still need you. _I need you_." He drops his head, presses a kiss to Poe's forehead. Despair almost overwhelms him. Taking a deep breath, he pushes it away, determined to get them out. To save them both.

"I am done with this," he says. "You are not dying on me today. We're getting out of here."

He pulls Poe up again, stands at the edge of the staircase. Raising his hand, Finn gathers whatever power he can sense around him, and pushes out with it, down the stairs into the darkness. He staggers back as whatever barrier was holding them back breaks before him, like glass shattering silently into a million pieces.

There is a sound below them, like something hitting the floor. Then shouting, and the same feeling of despair Finn just set aside. He starts down the stairs, hugging Poe to him tightly, blaster ready in his other hand.

He reaches the first floor only to find a man who looks like Poe sitting on the ground, blaster pointing right at Finn. There is a man with him, bleeding onto the floor from a horrific chest injury. A man who looks like Finn.

Another trick.

Finn raises his blaster. "Drop it," he snarls.

"You first," Poe snaps back. "I don't know who or _what_ you are, but this is over. Let us out _._ Now."

"I don't know who _you_ are," Finn retorts. "You're not Poe, you're some sort of imposter—"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Poe stands, blaster still pointing at Finn as his other hand waves about in agitation. "You're the imposter! The real Finn is bleeding out, now open the damn door!"

Finn raises his weapon higher. "Not a chance. Move out of the way. We're getting out of here before Poe dies."

"That's not me," Poe tells him. "And you're not Finn."

"Of course I am, because that's not me lying there on the floor," Finn snaps, shaking his blaster at them both. "You're pulling some kind of trick, making me see things."

Poe swears under his breath. "So we each think we're real, but we can't all be who we say we are."

"I know I'm real," Finn snaps. His hands are shaking again. "Now get out of my way or I'll prove it."

"Open the door first so we can leave. I need to save him!"

"And I need to save _him_!" Finn shouts. Around him, the cottage vibrates with anticipation and gleeful malice. Something tickles at the back of Finn's mind, like a warning, but he doesn't understand.

All he knows is that he has to save Poe.

* * *

All Poe knows is that he has to save Finn.

Finn, who is dying on the ground before him. Finn, who he loves but hasn't told. Not the man standing before him, hands shaking as he points his blaster at Poe's chest.

"Last chance," Poe says, voice low in warning. He has an idea. "Let us out or I will end this myself."

The other man's eyes flicker with doubt. Poe changes his plan, adjusts his aim. Because he knows two things: he must save Finn, and he is the real Poe Dameron. Not the injured man lying at Finn's feet.

He aims at the floor. He fires.

"No!" Finn jumps in front of the shot, lightning fast reflexes propelling him forward. The bolt hits him in the thigh and he falls hard to the floor.

Before he can react, Poe feels a sharp pain in his shoulder as Finn shoots him. Not the man he just shot…but the man beside him, the man he thought he was trying to save. Poe falls to his knees in pain and confusion.

"Finn?" he gasps as his Finn stands, blood still dripping from the wound in his chest. The other Poe stands as well, joining the Finn at the base of the stairs. Both men are mortally injured, yet they turn and smile, eyes empty and dead. Features blur as they morph into one, a dark shadow reaching to the ceiling as it looms over the entryway. Poe can feel the mocking hatred: this then, is the real enemy. The fallen Jedi who destroyed the village that took in the woman he once loved.

Poe reaches for his blaster. It is easily knocked away. Invisible hands yank him upright, press into his bloody shoulder, then squeeze his throat. He claws at it, unable to breath. Finn—the real Finn, the one Poe fucking _shot—_ stands slowly and raises his right hand.

"Leave him alone," Finn snarls. The shadow laughs. Finn brings his other arm up, his leg shaking as he tries to stay upright.

"I said, leave him alone." Finn steps forward, pushing out with both hands, with the Force. The shadow resists, squeezes harder. Poe sees spots and gasps for breath.

Finn shouts again, muscles straining as he pushes harder, trying to break the shadow's hold. Once again, Poe is struck by the realization that he still hasn't told Finn, the real Finn, how he feels. "Finn," he gasps. "I—" He coughs, choking on his own spittle. "Saber," he finishes.

"What?" Finn looks at him and Poe flicks his eyes toward the lightsaber he dropped. Finn calls it to his hand, ignites it.

Finn shouts in defiance once more, stepping forward and into the shadow. He brings the lightsaber up, slashing into the darkness over and over, until he flings his arms out with a savage yell and falls to his knees. The shadow explodes into shards of darkness, sinking to the ground like ash and disappearing. Poe drops hard to the floor.

"Poe!" Finn crawls over to him as Poe struggles to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. He wants to speak, to say something, _everything,_ but he can't make his voice work. He nods his head to tell Finn he is all right. Motions toward the door with his hand.

"Right," Finn says. "Let's get the hell out of here. We should…" He trails off, gazing at the stairs with a frown.

The lightsaber. Finn grabs it as Poe stands, then helps Finn up as well. He takes Finn's hand, and Finn holds him tight, as reluctant to let go as Poe is. They face the door.

"Force," Poe croaks, jerking his head toward the door. Finn nods, raises his hand. The door bursts open, shattering into pieces, and they hurry out into the forest clearing. Holding hands as they leave the past behind.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was greatly influenced by an episode of one of my favorite tv shows. It was one of the Christmas episodes, and a classic. I'd love to know if you recognize my inspiration! Thank you for reading, I hope that was appropriately scary! Please do let a writer know what you think. Shouting into the void is harder than it seems. Comments warm our hearts and keep our imaginations writing. Thank you again – final chapter by Thursday!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Finn's leg gives out as they hurry away from the house, and they both fall to the ground, breathing heavily. Poe lays on his back and stares up at the sky, trying to calm his racing heart. It is black as night, and the silence is almost deafening. He frowns, trying to figure out what's wrong with both of those facts, when he notices something else.

His shoulder doesn't hurt.

Sitting up, Poe gingerly touches his shoulder. There is no hole in his jacket, no blaster burn, no blood. He reaches out toward Finn, finds the lightsaber he's still clutching in one hand. Takes it and ignites it to see in the dark.

There is nothing. His shoulder is normal; Finn's leg is unharmed.

"Finn," Poe says softly, then gently shakes the other man's shoulder. "Hey, buddy. Sit up. You're okay. Everything's okay." Finn opens his eyes and Poe holds the saber up so Finn can see better. "Look, my shoulder—it's fine, and so is your leg. Nothing there."

Finn looks confused as he sits up slowly. Examines his leg, glances up at the dark sky. Poe feels a flash of deep concern.

"Finn, are you all right?" he asks, moving closer and laying his hand on Finn's arm. "Did something else happen in there?"

Finn turns toward him and raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, you shot me!"

Poe backs off, hands in the air. "I was trying to hit the fake me! I wasn't aiming for you—you jumped in front of my shot!"

"Because I was trying to _save_ you _,"_ Finn replies.

"It wasn't me," says Poe. "How could you not tell it wasn't me?"

"You thought I was bleeding out on the floor," Finn points out. "How come you didn't know _he_ wasn't me?"

"Okay, fine—we were both conned." Poe takes a deep breath. "The point is, we're okay now—but how? I shot you. And it sure felt like I got shot."

"It was nothing but smoke and mirrors," Finn says. "Tricks and mind games. I saw some strange and terrible things in there…" He trails off, clearly affected by whatever he experienced inside. Poe nods in agreement, remembering what he saw in the basement, flickers of the past and the tragedy that destroyed the village.

"Me too, buddy," he says softly. "I'm sorry I shot you. I was trying to stop whatever was messing with us."

Finn reaches out, takes his hand and holds it tight. Poe feels much calmer, like it really will be okay now that they are out, safe and together. He has questions, though. So many things he doesn't understand, might never know. Opening his mouth to ask, he is stopped by the agitated shouting of Rey and Chewbacca, running toward them with BB-8 chirping shrilly. Poe looks at Finn.

"All right?" he asks one more time, knowing they are about to be hit by a wave of questions, many of which he has no answer for. Finn nods.

"I'm okay," he says. They stand as Rey comes to sliding halt before them, looking both terrified and astounded.

"What's wrong?" Poe asks immediately. "Did something happen? Are you all right?"

She stares at him. "What? Am I all right? Are _you_? Where have you been?"

"What do you mean, where have we been?" Finn asks. "We went to check out the house."

"But we looked everywhere for you!" she exclaims, and Chewie echoes her concern. "You didn't respond on comms, and we finally went back to the ship and tried to scan for you, only there was no sign of you anywhere!"

"Wait, how long have we been gone?" Poe asks, exchanging a look with Finn. It seems they may add another layer to the mystery.

"Poe, it's been six hours!" she exclaims, and his stomach drops a little with the realization. What couldn't have been an hour for them was much, much longer for Rey and Chewie. "Were you in the house the entire time? Why didn't we see you? I couldn't even sense you." She exchanges a look with Chewie. "What happened in there?"

Poe exchanges a look with Finn. "I'm not really sure," Poe tells her. "But I think we should probably go now. There's nothing else to see, and I'm ready to get out of here." BB-8 butts him in the knee, and Poe crouches down to rub his dome. "We're okay, pal. Honest. And of course we'll tell you. I'd rather do it back on the ship, though, and not out here."

Finn nods in agreement again. "Okay," Rey says, still radiating concern. "But tell me one thing. Where did you get a lightsaber?"

Finn glances down at the silver handle in his hand, then looks to Poe. "Good question. Where did I get a lightsaber?"

"I found it in the basement," Poe tells her. "There was a woman who lived here, a Jedi. It was hers."

"She was killed by a dark Jedi," Finn adds. "He killed them all, the entire village."

Rey turns gazes into the night. "That's what we all felt, then," she murmurs. "But why couldn't I sense you in the house?"

"I don't know," Finn admits, and does not say any more. Rey turns to Poe.

"Don't look at me. I don't understand half of what happened. But I think it's over, so let's go."

Poe can't wait to leave the entire moon behind. He takes Finn's elbow and starts walking back toward the ship. There is no reason to stand around in the dark trying to understand what happened to them; there will be time for that later. He asks Rey what they found while searching the village, and they clearly experienced none of the strange events that he and Finn did. Which is both a relief and a mystery. Why them? Was it the house? Or was it something more?

They reach the _Falcon_ and Poe pulls Finn to a stop at the bottom of the ramp. "You go ahead, get the ship ready," he tells the others. "We'll be right there."

"Everything okay?" Rey asks, and BB-8 echoes her concern. Poe nods, glancing back at the forest.

"Yeah, we're fine. Just need a minute."

Rey nods and walks up the ramp with Chewie, BB-8 following reluctantly. Finn crosses his arms over his chest. "Need a minute?" he asks. "You sure everything is okay?"

"I don't know," Poe admits. He feels unsettled, nervous. He suspects he won't ever completely understand what happened to the dark Jedi who destroyed the village, or what happened to him and Finn in the house. But there is one thing he does know, and he needs to say it before they leave. He opens his mouth, but his nerves get the better of him, and something completely different comes out first.

* * *

"What the hell happened in there?"

Finn sighs, wondering when Poe would start asking questions. The problem is, Finn doesn't have any answers. Only vague impressions and feelings. Like the ones that started it all and brought them there.

"You probably know as much as I do," Finn tells him. "Since it sounds like you saw parts of the story, too."

"I did, down in the basement," Poe tells him. He stares off into the distance. "I saw a woman, who put away her lightsaber and lived a peaceful life here. She was married and happy and…"

"And then the dark Jedi found her."

"He loved her," Poe says, sounding as if he can't believe it.

"But he had already turned. I think she left to get away, and hid here."

"And that's why he killed her, and her husband, and everyone else. Love and betrayal." Poe runs a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "Like some sordid holo-drama, only it really happened. Here."

Finn nods. "And it was so terrible, the echo of it remained."

"In the Force?" Poe asks. "Or like a ghost?"

"Both, maybe." Finn doesn't have all the answers and waits for Poe to continue. He knows there's more—more questions he won't be able to answer.

"How did you do it?" Poe asks after a long silence. "How did you stop it?"

"I don't know," Finn tells him, wishing he had a better answer. "I mean, I used the Force, I know that. And I couldn't have done it without that lightsaber you found."

"Maybe that's why I found it," Poe murmurs. He holds out his hand, takes the elegant weapon and examines it. "Do you think you'll keep it?"

Finn looks at him in surprise. "What? Keep it? But it's not mine!"

"What else are you going to do with it?" Poe asks. "Dump it somewhere? Sell it? Take it apart and put it back together?"

"Well, maybe—" Finn had been thinking that was exactly what he'd do, but Poe stops him. Steps forward and presses the weapon back into Finn's hand.

"I think you should keep it," he says. "Because you earned it. Whatever it was in there—evil spirit, Force ghost, echo of the past—you stopped it. You finally put this place to rest."

"You think so?" Finn asks, not sure whether he had actually done what Poe thinks he did, or if he deserves a lightsaber before he has completed his training.

"I do," Poe says. "I think whatever stuck around is gone now, because of you." He takes Finn's hands in his. "You're going to be a Jedi, Finn. You're a good man, and you'll need a good weapon. This might be it."

Finn is speechless. He glances down at their hands, at the weapon between them. It does feel right, somehow. As if perhaps he was meant to find it. Or, in this case, that Poe was meant to find it for him. Maybe that's why he was drawn here. Maybe that's why they experienced what they did in the house.

Finn suddenly realizes something else about their time in the house. What he needs to do, to say, only it's much harder when Poe is standing across from him, alive and uninjured. It's ridiculous, yet true. It was much easier to say something when Poe was unconscious. He takes a deep breath to try now that they are both safe and alive.

"Poe, I—"

He doesn't get very far, for Poe steps forward and kisses him, hard. And it feels different, somehow—with an edge of desperation, touched by something else. Finn kisses him back, yet before he can lose himself in the moment, Poe pulls away, still holding both of his hands tight.

"I love you," he says, almost blurts, and Finn's eyes widen in surprise. He opens his mouth, but Poe shakes his head, stops him. "No, no—don't say anything yet. I'm not telling you this because we almost died in there, or because I shot you, but because I mean it." He takes a deep breath to slow down. "Because I _thought_ you were dying in there, and I realized I couldn't lose you without saying something. So I said it, but it wasn't you, and I'm sorry."

"Poe, it's—"

"No, wait. Now it's actually you, and we're alive, and I can't leave here without telling you. I am so in love with you, and I don't want anything to happen without you knowing how much." He blows out a long, nervous breath. "Okay, that's it. Sorry."

Finn pulls Poe closer, bringing the other man's hands to his chest, resting them against his heart. "Poe, you don't have to apologize for anything. You know why?"

"Why?" Poe looks nervous, worried.

"Because I did the same thing. When I found you upstairs with a blaster hole through your chest."

The corner of Poe's mouth quirks up. "Did what, exactly?"

"Dying confession—you were dying, so I confessed." Poe's smile widens, and his eyes crinkle in that way Finn loves so much. He feels his heart melt a little, and suddenly—it's easy. "I love you, too," Finn says, his voice cracking slightly. He clears his throat. "Have for a while."

"Huh," Poe says, looking sort of stunned. "I honestly wasn't sure…I hoped, but…"

"But we're a pair of idiots," Finn finishes for him. "Because we could've have said it a long time ago and had this the whole time."

"Well, now we do." Poe kisses him again. "Thank you for saving my life and not dying in there."

"I couldn't have done either without you," Finn tells him. It's true. He needs Poe by his side, always.

"That's because we're a good team. Officially." Poe grins and takes his hand. "Come on, let's get out of here. Because I'm pretty sure—"

There is a disgruntled growl from the inside of the _Falcon,_ and BB-8 comes rolling down the ramp, whistling at them to come inside already.

"—someone is gonna start yelling at us to hurry up," Poe finishes. He motions at BB-8 to head back in and follows him up the ramp. "Didn't think it would be you, though, pal!"

"I sent him," Rey calls from the cockpit. "You owe me that story, especially after that kiss!"

"What?" Finn exclaims. "You were watching?"

Chewie rumbles that he looked away; Rey counters by telling them Chewie was the one who saw them first. Poe laughs, and Finn rolls his eyes as he starts toward the cockpit. He is stopped by a hand, pulling him the other way, toward the main hold and the crew quarters. BB-8 follows them.

"Where're we going?"

"We just had a moment," Poe says. BB-8 trills in surprise. "I'm not ready for it to end."

Finn grins. "You mean…"

"I do." Poe stops and pulls him into another kiss, longer and growing more heated. "I love you. I thought I'd lost you. We deserve a moment."

The shriek of surprise from BB-8 sends them both into fits of laughter. The little droid swivels his dome between them before he turns and takes off for the cockpit, no doubt bursting to tell Rey and Chewie what he heard. Finn feels the ship take off, shooting through the atmosphere toward home. He leans in for another kiss.

"I love you, too, you know," he murmurs.

"I know," Poe replies. Finn nips playfully at his lips in reply, and Poe pulls him closer, hands wrapped tightly around Finn's waist. Their moment is ruined, however, by a shout over the comms.

"Better come up here quick," calls Rey. "We're about to run into trouble."

"Didn't we just leave the trouble behind?" Poe mutters against Finn's lips, and Finn sighs. The moment is over. There is no rest for the weary.

"We'll be right there!" he shouts into the air, then gives Poe a sly grin. "We're leaving it to them if it's another haunted house, though." He takes Poe's hand, and they head up front, to whatever adventure is waiting for them next. Together.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End. Thank you for reading!


End file.
